1. Technical Field
This invention relates to support assemblies and, more particularly, to a baby bottle support assembly for assisting a caregiver in feeding a baby.
2. Prior Art
Infants typically need to be fed numerous times a day, especially during the first few months of life. Since infants are not able to feed themselves, it is necessary for the caregiver to sit with the infant and feed him or her with a bottle. This requires the caregiver to stop whatever he or she is doing at that moment in order to tend to the infant.
Thus, there exists a need for an infant feeding device which would enable hands free feeding of the infant in a safe and comfortable setting. Such a device should support and provide a bottle to the infant. Many infant feeding devices are available that allow a caregiver to feed an infant a bottle without having to hold the infant. Most of these devices comprise a bottle holder that attach to existing infant seats or the like. While such units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they still have many shortcomings.
One disadvantage of such feeding devices is the limited width thereof that does not enable a single device to be employed on infant seats, strollers and bouncers. Thus, the caregiver is limited in their use of the feeding device and may still be required to manually feed the infant in certain situations. A further disadvantage of certain prior art examples is the bulky design of the feeding device, which makes the production thereof unfeasible and limits the movements of an infant while feeding with the device.
Accordingly, a need remains for a baby bottle support assembly in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a support assembly that is convenient, easy and safe to use, and provides a caregiver with greater freedom to perform other tasks while the infant is feeding. Parents of more than one young child can give the child a bottle as they feed or otherwise care for the infant's siblings. While keeping an eye on the baby, a caregiver can also straighten a room, do the dishes, or perform countless other tasks. The baby bottle support assembly is also ideal for use in a vehicle where it holds the bottle so that a caregiver can continue driving and not have to worry about a dropped bottle. The assembly can also be used by operators of day care facilities and those who provide private babysitting services from their homes.